The finalists for the Copa Del Rey final are all set. The semifinals are done and dusted. Now we know that Real Betis will lock horns with Valencia in this season’s final next month. The Spanish giants, including FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, failed to progress to the final as they were knocked out of the competitions at various rounds.
Betis have won this competition just twice before, while Los Che have won it eight times. Betis have finished runners-up twice, while Valencia have finished twice nine times.
This season’s Copa del Rey final will take place on Saturday, April 23. The kick-off time is yet to be decided. This season’s final will take place at Estadio La Cartuja in Seville. That means Betis will play this final in their home city, though ticket allocations are likely to be equal.
Road to the Final
Real Betis Balompie: Real Betis reached this season’s final after the wins over Alicante, Talavera, Valladolid, Sevilla, Real Sociedad and in the semifinal they beat Rayo Vallecano. Real Betis needed a stoppage-time equalizer to hold Rayo Vallecano to a 1-1 draw in the semifinal’s second leg and reach the Copa del Rey final for the first time in 17 years.
The match appeared to be headed to extra time after Bebe scored for the visitors with a long-range free kick in the 80th minute. But Borja Iglesias sent Betis into the final with his goal from close range after a breakaway two minutes into injury time at the Benito Villamarín Stadium in Seville.
“It was a long time without making it to a final,” Pellegrini said. “We are very pleased with the opportunity. The players stayed committed even after conceding that free kick goal and the team’s maturity paid off.”
Valencia CF: Valencia defeated Utrillas, Arenteiro, Cartagena, Atletico Baleares, Cadiz and Goncalo Guedes’ stunning strike earned Valencia a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg on Wednesday to take them back to the final three years after they won the title with a shock victory over Barcelona.
“I saw the opportunity and took it. It was an incredible goal,” Guedes told reporters. “It was an amazing night, starting with the reception that we got outside the stadium, there were thousands of fans, they deserve this more than anything. It is for them.”
Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Bilbao, Valencia dominated the second leg with high spirits in the full-packed Mestalla stadium.
In 2019, Valencia won their eighth Copa Del Rey title after defeating Barcelona. Betis lifted this title in 1977 and 2005. Valencia eliminated them in the 2019 semifinals.
